The heroic son of Poseidon makes an action-packed comeback in the second must-read installment of Rick Riordan’s amazing young readers series. Starring Percy Jackson, a “half blood” whose mother is human and whose father is the God of the Sea, Riordan’s series combines cliffhanger adventure and Greek mythology lessons that results in true page-turners that get better with each installment. In this episode, The Sea of Monsters, Percy sets out to retrieve the Golden Fleece before his summer camp is destroyed, surpassing the first book’s drama and setting the stage for more thrills to come.

“Families are messy. Immortal families are eternally messy. Sometimes the best we can do is to remind each other that we’re related for better or for worse…and try to keep the maiming and killing to a minimum.”

In general, Sea of Monsters had so much more to it than The Lightning Thief. THAT, I’ve said. I haven’t yet told you why.

Sea of Monsters had a message to it that it’s predecessor didn’t. There was a sense of family and valuing others despite apparent “flaws” that might lead us to judge too early that I loved. It didn’t feel pointless or just purely entertaining. It gave me a feeling that I should be reading it, if you know what I mean. It wasn’t a strong feeling, though. But at least it was there.

As a character, Percy started to grow, which I had missed in TLT (if that’s an acceptable abbrevation). Riordan started to explore his bad sides, which gave him more realism and general authenticity as a character he might not have had. Needless to say, I digged it.

The relationships here were played very well. I treasured the value of friendship that was relayed (frankly, I don’t see it often enough anymore) and the contentment the author had with staying there. Any romantic feeling that may come later in the series is going to feel natural because of it. The dynamics between the characters felt real and personal.

Worldbuilidng as a whole was much the same, as was writing and pacing. (If you haven’t already, you can read my review on The Lightning Thief to learn a bit on what all that’s like—I’m not going to go into to much detail on it here.) Riordan’s writing kept up the same tone and feel, and the pace stayed comfortably fast. The world didn’t feel much different (for better or worse) but that’s okay. Worldbuilding isn’t this series’ strong point anyway, because it’s not supposed to be. (So GET OVER IT, MARIE!)

As always, I loved the sassy dialogue that remains the Percy Jackson trademark.

I’m excited for what’s to come.

Is it okay for me to read?

Language • • • • •

One use of d*** and a**..

Violence• • • • •

Characters fight mythological monsters. Hardly any detail is given, though blood is shed.